Tile is known for being resistant to all kinds of damage and stains, so people can sometimes get careless with it. They might think tile and grout cleaning is easy and they can simply go with whatever cleaner they find. The truth is, you need to be more careful than that. Many materials can potentially damage your tile.

Lemon

Many cleaners are lemon-based, but keep in mind that lemon juice is acidic. Of course, spilling a bit of lemon juice in your Long Beach home should be fine, and accidentally using a lemon cleaner once shouldn’t cause too much damage, particularly if your tile is sealed. But if you regularly clean your tile, don’t use anything lemon-based.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a lot like lemon since it’s also highly acidic. This acidity is fantastic for dissolving unwanted grime, but it’s also good at dissolving parts of your tile. In general, only use very diluted vinegar when cleaning anything, and try to avoid using this stuff for your tile.

Bleach

Bleach is another cleaning product that should only be used when diluted, but this time it’s basic instead of acidic. Bleach isn’t great for your health in general and can seriously discolor your tiles. Particularly, porcelain and natural stone tiles are corroded by bleach.

Ammonia

Ammonia, like bleach, is a strong cleaning product that’s also not great for your health. You probably know how dangerous it can be if you mix the two, so you can imagine they can be harmful. Some diluted ammonia can potentially work on certain types of tile, but still spot-test or ask a Long Beach cleaning professional before trying this.

Colored Cleaners

There are some colored cleaners out there that tile can potentially absorb. Make sure there aren’t dyes in your cleaner that will discolor your Long Beach home’s tile, especially if you’re working with unsealed tile.

Wax-based Cleaners

Wax-based cleaners won’t necessarily cause terrible damage to your tiles, but they can leave them unusually slippery. This slipperiness can quickly cause accidents whenever someone tries to walk on the tile. After a while, wax-based cleaners can also cause yellow stains, so you’ll generally want to avoid this type of cleaner.

Oil-based Cleaners

Oil-based cleaners have a lot of the same problems as wax-based cleaners. They can make your tile much slipperier than usual. Oils also attract dirt easily, making your Long Beach home’s tile dirtier than it would be without the cleaner.

Abrasive Scrubbers

This isn’t related to a cleaning chemical, but it’s still worth mentioning. Never use abrasive scrubbers when cleaning tile. That includes steel wool, scouring pads, and other particularly gritty cleaners. These can really chip away at the top of your tile, specifically if it’s made of natural stone or unsealed.

What To Do Instead

You can know how to properly clean your tile without causing any damage. Your best bet is to hire a Long Beach professional to steam clean your tile for you. You can also experiment with spot-testing mild chemicals and cleaning gently by yourself. You can always still clean your tiles, even if you can’t use these harsh chemicals. Rest assured, you have options.